Europe - Serbia - Brooklyn College Summer Archaeological Field School in Serbia

Loznica, western Serbia

Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

3 or 6 credit hours

NY res (3 cred) $585 (matric) $855 (non-matric)
non-NY res (3 cred) $1248 (matric) $1830

$600

approx. $200 for weekend trips

Students will participate in all aspects of fieldwork and analysis of a new archaeological project entitled "Mapping the Metallurgy of the Bronze Age." The project focus is the Middle and Late Bronze Age (ca. 1500-1200 BC) archaeology of West Serbia. The research questions concern the interface between archaeological sites (burial and domestic), desirable natural resources as perceived by cultures, and networks of communication across landscapes. The test case is the source of tin, one of the most important raw materials of the ancient world, recently discovered in West Serbia. Project objectives are: (1) to locate archaeological sites close to tin sources; (2) to determine the role of western Serbian tin sources in the Bronze Age of Europe.

We will work simultaneously on survey, excavation, and field and laboratory analysis. Data collection includes excavations at the first settlement/tin processing site in the area, and a contemporary burial site. Survey will include magnetometry and soil phosphate analysis. Ores, metals, and finished products will be “fingerprinted” by spectrographic analysis. Isotopic analysis of bones and teeth in burials will provide evidence of population movements. The synergy and feedback among these tasks will enable the project to refine models for cultural connection and change through work on the landscape, ecology, material remains, and extraction technology, with each informing the other.

Participants will be housed in rooms rented in the vicinity of the project site, and will live with selected families. This is a great opportunity to interact with another culture on a personal level, experience different lifeways and a new language. Field school staff are experienced archaeologists and geologists from the faculty of Brooklyn College, who will provide guidance and assist students in the field and the laboratory. Preparatory meetings and reading material will be available before the field season -- no prior experience is required. In the field, mornings will be devoted to excavation and survey, afternoons to artifact washing, analysis and data entry. Work week is Monday through Friday. Meals are taken together (special dietary needs need advanced notice); lectures on techniques, local archaeology, culture history and theoretical issues will be given before supper three days a week. Bus trips (2 or 3) to sites of archaeological and tourist interest will be organized on Sundays.

prehistoric and geophysical

Middle to Late Bronze Age (ca. 1600-1300 BCE)

The area under investigation is rural, pleasant hilly and riverine valley terrain, remote from any large city. Villages are small. Loznica, the regional capital, is about an hour by car or bus from the site area. Beograd, the national capital, is about five hours away.

Ideally, we will live close enough to the site to walk over each day -- if not possible, transportation will be provided.

Work week is Monday-Friday. Fieldwork (survey and/or excavation) 7 - 2 (with breakfast break); afternoon lab work 3:30-6:30; lectures (3 x week) 6:30-7:30; supper 8.

N/A

H. Arthur Bankoff, director
R. Boger, GIS specialist
S. Mitrovic, Field director
J. Blit, lab coordinator
S. Filipovic, Serbian field director

excavation
survey
GIS mapping and analysis
topo mapping using a total station
archaeological photography
remote sensing (magnetometry)
phosphate testing
ceramic and artifact typology

yes

Visits to other sites and museums in Serbia

Evening lectures 3 x week

no

H. Arthur Bankoff
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Brooklyn College CUNY
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210